The Shadow of a Soul
by Noone4
Summary: Hundreds of years after the events of Dragonball Z, New Vegeta has been wished back and the universe continues. These are the adventures of a young boy, Xerokine Caeruleus, and how he alters the course of the future...


The Shadow of a Soul  
  
  
-=(Chapter One: A Tale from New Bejiitasei)=-  
  
(Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or any of the characters created in it. I own the Caeruleus family, Zephyr and Tobias. So there.)  
  
Sweat rolled off the older man's back in rivulets, puddling briefly on the metallic floor. With each grunt and flex of his impressive muscles, the man's entire body lifted into the air before being lower again. It was a mark of his strength that he could lift his entire body by one arm, but it was also a mark of age.   
  
"Blast it, Xero, there was a time I could do this with one finger," he managed to say between each set of push ups. "I'm starting to feel my age, and I don't like it one bit."  
  
The small boy, sitting in a position that looked oddly meditative for such a youth, nodding in agreement. It was something he had heard from his father many times, though he was beginning to see the mark of age for himself. as his father entered the last half of his second century. The black hair that seemed to be present in almost all the people the boy knew was slowly fading to a dull grey colour. His father's strength was leaving, ever so slowly, from his mighty body.   
  
"Of course, I've lived a good life," the older man continued, moving into the next part of the oft-repeated speech. It seemed to help him through the exercise, and his son seemed to find no reason to interrupt. "Had my share of battles in my prime. I don't miss them, really. But the excitement... the thrill... that's all in the past as well. I knew I had to settle down eventually, have a family..." The man's eyes watered for a moment in remembrance before he got a hold of himself, blinking them back. His son, after all, was present.  
  
"You knew? I recall having to drag you away from more then one little party with your friends," a playful voice said from the doorway. Xero tilted his head back to peer at his mother, grinning widely. "Its almost time for school, dear. Better hurry up."  
  
Calling a hurried assent, the boy rolled to his feet and darted out the door and into the house proper. Having lived there for his entire twelve years of life, he did not bother to even acknowledge the various subtle ways in which his father's lifestyle was reflected. A tyqr banister instead of one coated in kdyxpu, the quality of the floor and carpeting, the number of slaves the family owned... while most families in this part of the city and in the city itself might be considered rich, not all of them had a father who provided needed electronics to all parts of the planet.  
  
But none of this concerned a young boy on his way to another day at school. Especially after a long vacation, honouring the day that one of the most evil tyrants the world had ever seen was finally vanquished by the two greatest heros that had ever been born. Of course, Xero wasn't thinking of that either. He was too preoccupied with the prospect of what came with the holiday, besides the vacation.  
  
**************************  
  
"Hey, ready for the party?" called a young male voice as Xerokine hopped down the steps that lined the front of his house, catching his balance with ease after a final leap over the last set. "I know I am!"  
  
"Duh, I've only been ready for the back month," Xero shot back, hitting his friend playfully on the shoulder. He feigned rubbing the spot as if in pain. "This is gonna be great, Tobias. I just hope you can give me a little amusement before going down!"  
  
Tobias merely laughed, bouncing forward with the air of one who was full of energy and knew he was going to be using it to his enjoyment soon. "You'll never beat me!" he boasted, hopping from foot to foot. "Just try it! Watch, I'll give you a preview and beat you now... to school! Ha!"  
  
Without a second word, Tobias whirled around and began racing down the street, his loose clothing flapping in the mid-summer air.   
  
"Hey!" called Xerokine, speeding after him with a laugh. "No fair, you cheater!"  
  
Luckily, it was still quite early in the morning and the streets were deserted. Otherwise, the two rambunctious children probably would have run over a slower adult in their race toward the nearby schoolyard. The sun was just rising, in fact, over the slightly less urban section of the city that the Caeruleus family had chosen to reside in. The perfect place to raise a family, supposedly, with the local academy within easy running distance. Not to mention a high population of fellow youths.  
  
"Are you two trying to see who wears their shoes out first again?" called an amused voice, feminine and yet not. The speaker stepped into the path of the two boys, just as Xerokine was beginning to overtake Tobias's lead, causing both to practically screech to a halt.  
  
"Whoa!" Xero yelped, crashing into the girl awkwardly as he tried to stop, sending the two of them falling to the ground in a pile. "What do you think you're...!" he looked down into dancing green eyes. "...doing..."  
  
She was only a few inches shorter then Xerokine, dressed in the school uniform of a navy blue gi with a belt around the middle, blue for boys and red for girls. Her black hair was the norm for the families in the area, but her sparkling green eyes spoke of slightly mixed blood somewhere back in her family's history. Muscles that spoke of strength but not bulky enough to seem out of proportion lightly shoved Xerokine away, giving her room to stand up.  
  
"I should be asked that question," she replied, winking to show she wasn't upset. "The two of you, running down the street without looking."  
  
"You're the one who jumped out at us! Jeeze, Zephyr, you do this every day," Tobias complained sportively, brushing off his shirt where he had fallen into the grass.   
  
"I do not!" she replied, mock-glaring at the offender with an accidental smile that spoiled the effect. "Well, maybe I do."  
  
Laughing together, the three of them turned and began to head, slightly more sedately, toward Kotmurtu Central Academy. The school building was three stories tall, set back into a small park that doubled as the playground for the younger students. A large dome, covering more of the buildings roof, shielded the area for physical training, while the rest of the school hosted things from advanced academics to battle strategy. After all, the true legacy of the area was in warfare.  
  
**************************  
  
The three friends entered the school through the large double doors in the front, wading through the crowd of other students that milled around outside waiting until the last minute as some pupils do. Normally, classes for those ages eleven to fifteen involved the second floor, which was half normal academics and half battle strategy training. The bottom floor was purely academics for the younger students, and the top floor and Battle Dome were for those aged sixteen and older were almost purely the opposite. But since today was the Revival Festival, school was canceled for students under eleven and everyone else was moved into the Dome.  
  
"Been keeping up with your training?" Zephyr teased, grinning at the two males as they walked toward the central elevator. "I don't wanna win too easily."  
  
"Ha! Just watch, you'll probably go down in the first round," Xerokine retorted, his hands clasped behind his head as he watched the ceiling tiles go past. "I'm just glad there will be a party afterward, so you won't be too disappointed."  
  
Zephyr and Tobias laughed good-naturedly, trading phony threats as they entered the elevator and punched in the keycode for the Dome level. The lift rose swiftly through the center of the school, halting a moment later with a soft pinging noise as the doors slide open silently.  
  
"Whoa..." the three of them said in unison, eyes wide as they saw the Battle Dome for the first time.  
  
The structure was immense, seemingly larger then it appeared from outside. The walls were lined with every kind of weapon one could imagine, and even though they were all fake for training purposes, the overall effect was staggering. Normally the entire floor would be cleared, open for friendly sparring before classes started in martial arts and weapons training. But since today was a festival, only the center circle was open. The rest of the floor was covered in tables, which were in turn covered in food, wares for sale, and various strange items that had been gotten from who-knows-where. Of course, the food and drink and the real party wouldn't start until after the main event: the Revival Day Tournament.  
  
In honor of the great battle that had taken place all those hundreds of years ago, all the students of the school who were of age participated in a tournament. Prizes were given out and there was a party afterward, but mostly this would test who would be in what strength class when they grew up. Of course, the younger students weren't expected to do as well as the older students anyway.   
  
Normally such a tournament would have the party first, so as to be enjoyed by anyone who might be too injured afterward. But this was a generously funded event, and anyone who was injured could be assisted by the medical personnel who hung back even now, against the wall.  
  
"Shy, aren't they?" Xero commented, glancing over at the them. "Wonder why they don't join in the fun."  
  
"They can't fight as well as normal people can," Zephyr explained, showing her greater experience in such matters. She was the best of their grade in foreign languages and cultures, so it no surprise that she knew. "Besides, they don't exactly blend in."  
  
"You got that right," added Tobias. "You can tell by their skin that they aren't native to here."  
  
"Fine, fine," Xero said hastily, holding up his hands to ward them off. "I guess it just means more food for us anyway."  
  
The two of them laughed, Zephyr with a pleasant sound that was akin to singing, Tobias with a light tenor that would probably disappear as he grew older. Xero glared at them, but the good humor was infectious and soon he was laughing in spite of himself.   
  
"You eat so much," Zephyr declared, moving forward and poking Xero in the stomach. "That you're gonna be too fat and slow to throw a punch!"  
  
"Hey!"   
  
The three of them arrived at the first table a moment later, still debating just how obese Xero would be when he grew older. The object of their teasing finally through up his hands in defeat, flopping into an unoccupied chair to await the start of the first event as the principal of the school walked to the center of the Dome.  
  
"Ahem." Clearing his throat, he gestured expansively at the gathered students. "I am proud and honored to see all of the young fighters gathered here today, gathered to honor those who have died keeping the people of this world safe. But I'm sure that no one, especially our younger students, wants to here me preach about the old days. You get enough of that in class, correct?" He smiled at the chorus of assent. "Well then. Let the Revival Day Tournament begin!" 


End file.
